Does location matter? Exploring the spatial patterns of food safety in a tourism destination

Location-based studies for tourism destinations have been conducted from perspectives such as regional geography and systematic geography. However, despite the importance of location, the impact of location on food safety has not yet been studied, even though it might be the most influential aspect of planning and development in a tourism destination. This exploratory study identified locational determinants that are associated with the degree of critical food safety violations in hotel restaurants in the Miami metropolitan area in the United States. The results indicated that proximity to the beach, downtown, city of Miami, and airport had a significant effect on critical food safety violations. Furthermore, considerable local variations in the relationships among variables were explored using a geographically weighted regression. The implications on and suggestions for effective food safety planning and policy related to tourism are discussed.